I don't believe 2

"Now, now, I know you are afraid." My head perked up, my heart racing. 

"Yeah, I know about your problem."

"Can you read my mind?" I squinted my eyes at him. He threw his head back and laughed, patting me on the shoulder. I was given a crash course on vampires on the drive up here, and I know Justin couldn't tell me everything. Maybe some could read minds?

"Oh no, but I can read people really well." Right, so he doesn't really know about my problem then. "I got these amazing eyes, you see, I can notice when people are in distress. Every time I mention the word, 'blood," he gave the word a creepy ghostly feel like Dracula said it himself, "you wince."

"Oh," I shrung my shoulders.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Sauron scoffed, leading me into the cafeteria. "Plus, it is kinda my job to help you out. Elder Rowan usually puts me in charge of the kids, but now he has me watching you."

Great, a babysitter.

"I'm an awesome babysitter," he mentioned. I swear if he can read minds and he is lying-- "And I'm not lying." He chucked.

The frick?

As we walked the sterile cafeteria, vampires and humans intermingled. The group of adults my age sat on one end of the room, sulking. They gave judgmental eyes around the room. In just the past week, I heard them throw off on everything the vampires do or so. Making jokes, rolling their eyes when one walks by. I hadn't gone that far. Justin had been perfectly nice until today. When he said, I couldn't be near mom. 

But he had good reason...

 "Stay away from them," Sauron nodded towards the group. One of them, Ashton, was particularly cruel, mainly because he feels his mother was ripped away by the 'bond' these creatures rant about. Ashton's family was 'perfectly fine,' before his mother's beloved came along. He has yet to go violent with any of them. He just flat-out ignores them. The entire house does, and so far, I'm the only one talking to one. 

"Kind of hard to when I live with them," I whispered.

"Oh, that's unfortunate. That means you need to hang out with me more then."

Goodie.

"I could feel that eye-roll from here." Suron grabbed a tray, handing it to me as we went through the line. The food looked good. Salad bar, chicken, wraps, sandwiches, it was all so normal. Then we got to the end of the line where blood was set up like Capri Sun packets.

Crap.

I grabbed the railing to the buffet line, and Sauron put his hand on my back. My head went light-headed, I tried not to look, but it was there. Flashes of being stuck in the hospital, blood bags forcing the blood into my arm.

"Well, I didn't see that coming." He grabbed my tray and his, and passed the blood bags pushing me to the far end of the room, away from the red sticky substance that still stuck in my mind. "You're afraid of blood?" he raised a brow. "You're sheet white!"

Pushing my sandwich off my tray, I waved the plate to my face. The cool breeze pushed the evil thoughts away until Sauron pushed a juice box in front of me. "Drink this, sugar." I reached for the juice and sucked it down in one go. It was a tiny thing, maybe two gulps meant for a child.

"Thanks," I sighed, putting it on the table.

Leaning back in my seat, his copper red eyes stared at me. "Spill the tea." His voice went eerily calm rather than his peppy personality. I sucked in my cheek, trying not to smile. If he was a dog, he would be a golden retriever. I could see how much he wanted to please people. It was making the hard wall against vampire crack.

Just a little.  

"I don't know what you're talking about. I was just hungry." I waved it off like no big deal." Sauron tutted, taking his black plastic fork and pointing at me.

"Sugar, just so you know, vampires believe in spanking." I choked on the bit of my sandwich, causing him to get up and save me yet again. The whack to my back had me cough it up on my plate.

Damnit. 

"Yeah, that's right. When you find your mate, he will spank the ever-living shit out of you for lying. Mates don't lie," he shook his head.

"I will not have a—"

"Enough," he silenced me with his hand over my mouth. "Why did you almost pass out? I was under the impression you didn't like it when blood was brought up because we ate it. Not that you are scared to death of it." Letting out a breath, I rubbed my eyes.

"I'm a hemophiliac and a hemophobic." Sauron snorted, he covered his mouth, trying not to laugh, but his pale face turned bright red. Rolling my eyes so far back in my head, I swear I saw the world upside down.

"That… is so unfortunate." Suron finally let out his pelt of laughter. I sulked, watching all the red eyes staring at me. "You're mate," he heaved in a breath. "Is going to have a time with you."

"Humans don't usually have mates. Mom is just an exception," I argued.

"Ha, not around here. It seems to be genetic. If a parent has one, usually a mate follows for their children to keep them together," Suron sang. "So, when you get yours—"

"I do not believe inmates," I hissed. If I felt like the world was staring at me before, the heat of these stares now doubled. Looking around the room, everyone stared. They weren't in anger but in pity. 

I'm sorry, just didn't believe it. 

There are no soul mates. I dated Wyatt for how many years? Gave him part of me that I was hoping to save for marriage, only for him to--. I shook my head, sucking my cheek and sulking. "That's enough," Sauron stood up and waved his arms in a flapping motion. "She's only been here less than a week." That seemed to sate everyone because they all went back to their meals.

"You may not believe it now, but one day you will. Have you not seen how much love your mother has for Justin?" Yeah, I did see how much love she had for him. I just thought it was because she craved to be loved. No one in town would touch mom, knowing she was married to my dad. Dad may not be around much, but you don't touch his… things.

Wonder how that will play out when he gets the divorce papers in the mail.

"Love isn't instant," I muttered. "I once believed it was, but it isn't."

"Maybe you just didn't know what real love is."